Blues force Game 7 with another playoff road win

David Perron’s secondperiod goal broke the deadlock and Jordan Binnington made 22 saves as the visiting St. Louis Blues beat the Dallas Stars 4-1 Sunday afternoon to force a Game 7 in their secondround playoff series.

The Blues have won five of six road games in the playoffs but have two wins in six home games.

With the score tied 1-1, Perron netted the game-winning marker with 4:36 remaining in the second period. Perron wasn’t tied up by a defender at the doorstep when he redirected Oskar Sundqvist’s crossing pass to put his team ahead for good.

A pair of goals 33 seconds apart before the midway point of the third sealed the deal. First, Jaden Schwartz netted his team-high eighth goal of the postseason on a somewhat controversial play at 7:37. Stars goalie Ben Bishop took a high shot from Colton Parayko and was on the ice writhing in pain when Alex Steen fired a rebound that Schwartz deflected. Because the Stars didn’t gain possession, the referees didn’t blow the whistle.

Then Sammy Blais, who made his NHL playoff debut and played his first game since March 12, rounded out the scoring when he wired a topcorner slap shot while on a breakaway. Bishop, who made 16 saves in the game, gave way to Anton Khudobin the rest of the game.

The club’s traded firstperiod goals in what was a tight-checking affair.

St. Louis captain Alex Pietrangelo opened the scoring just 63 seconds from the drop of the puck, the much-needed start for the club facing elimination. After getting the puck, Pietrangelo moved from his point position to the middle of the ice, and his long wrist shot through

the screen found the mark for his second goal of the playoffs.

But Tyler Seguin tied the game with a power-play goal at the 11:35 mark of the opening frame.

BLUE JACKETS AIM TO STAY ALIVE >> Columbus Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella was fixated on a potential Game 7 of his team’s Eastern Conference second-round series mere minutes after the conclusion of Game 5.

As for the immediate matter of Game 6, Tortorella’s Blue Jackets will need to stave off elimination tonight when they host the Boston Bruins.

“Things happen for a reason. And I truly believe that. We’ll be back here for Game 7,” Tortorella said shortly after David Pastrnak capped a two-goal performance by scoring with 1:28 remaining in the third period of the Bruins’ 4-3 win in Boston on Saturday.

When asked what gives him that confidence, the 60-year-old bench boss said “because we will.”